Discussion Topic

Saw it tonight and thought it was great. The climbing footage on Butte is worth it right there. I would love to climb that. You gotta say that the tricked out van, to sail boat, to helicopter, to many thousand foot rock climb approach to your base jump is stylin it out.

He has had more than his share of resistance from small minded people that have none of the talent, vision or balls that he does.

This quote bears repeating, I'm not sure why so many people hate on Dean, jealousy perhaps? Maybe we all wish we could be a little more open minded about our limitations and get to live life as he does on his own terms. Its easy to whine and criticize from safe at home behind your computers but who if any of you has the balls to do the things he does? regardless of what his motivations are.

Its not new for people to questions the motivations for soloists, Bachar, Reardon, honnold, they all have their detractors but to think that they are doing this for money or publicity alone is preposterous, there are far safer ways of making more money. Like many before him, Dean is simply taking advantage of the fact that people are willing to pay to assist him in what are otherwise expensive pursuits. I for one hopes he makes millions off his exploits so that finances will never be what limits a visionary like Dean, the way it limits so many dirtbag climbers.

I think this thread needs a good Potter quote...

"What I get from pushing my limits is that I turn impossible to possible, I turn something I haven't done into something I'm doing. The possibilities of what we are capable of if we truly believe is... the most compelling thing I can think of."-Dean Potter

I enjoyed watching the program and seeing Dean doing some rad stuff. I don't really buy into the "spiritual" stuff that he talks about--not saying that he is insincere or putting anything on, it just doesn't resonate with me personally. That fact doesn't diminish the stuff he is doing in my view though.

I really enjoyed seeing Matt M. involved in the rigging stuff--I have read about his "anti-cams" and a few other articles/blog by him and that is one incredible mind at work.

Jumping is not on my radar, but it's interesting to see what they can do and I am happy for Dean's success in sharing his skills and passion with the public. Climbing accidents/tragedies are misrepresented frequently in the media--I feel like these types of positive portrayals are good in a bigger sense, albeit atypical of what most climbers actually do.

I thought that the whole show was amazing & the cinematography was extraordinary. The high line footage over the north gulley gave me anxiety, the el cap footage shows the positions & exposure so well & the flight off Mt Butte might as well be on another planet the way it is filmed! Dean is the perfect subject for all three. So focused. I had the pleasure of meeting him this summer when my dog tried to chase his dog down in the bluffs & he turned out to be a very genuine, peaceful, friendly dude. He had a really positive energy. I can see why he probably has haters- he is doing what he wants on his terms despite other opinions, if any of them haters ever met Dean they would probably change their opinions a bit.

OT: Someone mentioned Matt M before & the anticam. Some of the guys who made the NatGeo special also did an online series prior called "the season" that profiles the anticam as well as some other climbers & athletes from other individual sports which has some pretty good episodes & athletes

I found it kinda funny how he talks about feeling connected and one with nature and then has a 40ft metal plank attached to the side of a mountain just so he can jump off it. I'm sure he wouldn't chisel holds on a climbing route just to make it possible.

Makes you wonder if he really wanted to do it or if maybe the producers of the show had some influence there... you know, they've gone all this way and then they are missing the money shot... that kinda thing.

"the metal pier thing" which was discussed in the behind the scenes link I posted, was to clear the initial section of the face which was deemed too low of an angle to clear upon takeoff. The solution was to build a "plank" lower down, hence the fitting phrase, "walk the plank."